Colorado University Athletics
Fast Five: Digging Into Keys For Buffs Vs. Bruins
September 27, 2018 | Football, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — If history is any indication, Friday night's Colorado-UCLA matchup under the Folsom Field lights will be a close one.
The last four games between the two Pac-12 South rivals have been decided by a total of 21 points, with the margin of victory hitting double digits just once — a 20-10 Colorado win in 2016 in Boulder. Two others were decided by four points and one by three.
This year, despite the records — Colorado is 3-0 while UCLA is 0-3 — CU coach Mike MacIntyre said he's not expecting anything other than another close game.
"They've played a tougher schedule than we have at this point," MacIntyre said. "They're the most athletic football team that we've played this season. They have speed, athleticism, and it's going to be a really tough test for us."
What must the Buffs do to ensure they start their conference season off on the right foot?
1. Continue their trend of scoring first in each half. In all three games thus far, the Buffs have scored on their first possession to take the lead, and three times they have scored on their first possession of the second half to establish momentum again.
Friday night would be a perfect time to stretch that streak to four and give what is expected to be a raucous crowd something to cheer for early.
It's not that the Buffs have had the ball first in all three games. In fact, they have twice — against Nebraska and New Hampshire — produced a defensive takeaway to start the game. Pair up a defensive takeaway and an early touchdown Friday night, and it will no doubt get the Folsom Field gathering into the game in a hurry.
2. Continue to win the explosion-play battle. Colorado has given up just four plays of 40 yards or longer this season on defense while the CU offense has produced eight such plays. When you count plays of 20 yards or more, the Buffs have a 17-12 edge.
The Bruins haven't struck from long distance often. But running back Kazmeir Allen does have a 74-yard run and tight end Caleb Wilson has a 65-yard reception. Wilson, by the way, hurt the Buffs in last year's 27-23 win with six catches, including some key third-down conversions.
Speaking of third downs, Colorado is averaging a healthy 8.4 yards on third-down plays while holding opponents to just 4.3 yards on third down. If CU can continue that trend against the Bruins, it will mean more possessions for the offense — and more opportunities for those big plays.
3. Keep UCLA's defense on its heels with some quick tempo. When the Buffs' offense is firing on all cylinders, it's tough on defenses. The Buffs have 12 scoring drives of less than 3 minutes, meaning they get to the line of scrimmage quickly and don't give defenses much time to react.
Meanwhile, the Bruins' defense has struggled this year, especially when opponents get rolling. Oklahoma put 42 straight points on the board against UCLA in a 49-21 win before Fresno State scored 22 in a row to break open a tight game for a 38-14 win.
The Bruins are giving up nearly 230 yards per game in the air and 174 on the ground. If the Buffs can strike that kind of balance, they should be able to control the pace of the game and leave the Bruins breathless at altitude.
4. Continue to limit penalties and win turnover battle. The Buffs are averaging just 6.7 penalties per game this year — not a great number, but certainly not bad. Their 50 yards per game in yellow flags is fourth-best in the Pac-12. The result is they haven't put themselves in big holes offensively and they haven't extended many opponent drives via penalty.
As for turnovers, the Buffs have lost just one fumble and thrown only three interceptions (just two by starting quarterback Steven Montez) while producing seven takeaways (four fumble recoveries and three interceptions). They have converted five of those takeaways into touchdowns.
If Colorado can maintain those two trends, it will help prevent any big momentum-shifting moments for the Bruins.
5. Get after UCLA's quarterback early and often. Early in the week, the Buffs weren't sure who they would see behind center for the Bruins. UCLA started the season with grad transfer Wilton Speight at quarterback, but he was injured in the opener and the Bruins turned to freshman Dorian Thompson-Robinson.
CU fans may remember Speight as the Michigan quarterback who led the Wolverines to a come-from-behind win over the Buffs two years ago in Ann Arbor. Thompson-Robinson, meanwhile, is a capable thrower and runner who had 254 yards passing in the loss to Oklahoma.
But so far, the Bruins have had problems protecting their quarterback, as they have given up 12 sacks already. Key stat concerning that pressure: UCLA quarterbacks have thrown more interceptions (three) than touchdown passes (two). The Buffs need to get to the Bruins quarterback and either force early and errant throws and put UCLA in second-and-long and third-and-long situations.
Do that, and the Folsom Field crowd will make it that much tougher for the visitors.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
